osterhout



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l. J. A. OSTERHOUT.

V GAGE FOR BUTTON HOLE SEWING MACHINES. No. 416,182. Patented Dec. 3, 1889.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet J. A. OSTERHOUT. GAGE FOR BUTTON HOLE SEWING MAGHINES.

No. 416,182. Patented Dec. 3, 1889.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES A. OSTERI'IOUT, OF TROY, NE\V YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE NATIONAL MACHINE COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

GAGE FOR BUTTON-HOLE SEWING-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 416,182, dated December 3, 1889.

Application filed September 4, 1886. Serial No. 212,768. (No model.)

To cold whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JAMEs A. OSTERHOUT, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Troy, county of Rensselaer, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gages for Sewing- Machines, of which invention the following is a specification, reference being had to accompanying drawings, in which similar letters 'ro refer to similar parts.

This invention relates to improvements in gages for sewing-machines, and is particularly applicable to button-hole, eyelet-hole, button-sewing, or similar machines in which the fabric operated upon is clamped under the needle.

The general object of this improvement is to provide a convenient and adjustable gage for a sewing-machine, whereby the fabric or garment may be easily and readily placed into proper position in the machine.

Heretofore it has been necessary to mark the place where it is desired to work the button-hole, eyelet-hole, or sew on a button, or

2 5 do similar work if accuracy of location were at all desirable. This has occasioned an eX- tra operation and been a very considerable item of expense. By myinvention all this is obviated, as the work can be put directly into 0 the machine without previous marking and instantly placed into proper position.

My invention can be adapted to any of the various button-hole, eyelet-hole, button-sewing, or similar machines; but for convenience 3 5 I have shown it adapted to the National button-hole machine, as described in patents to Morris and llallenbeck, No. 203,287, dated May 7, 1878, and No. 252,052, dated January 10, 1882.

In the accompanying dr: wings, Figure 1 a plan view of my invention. Fig. 2 is a front elevation, partly in section; and Fig. 3, a plan view of a modification thereof. Fig. -lis a plan view of the National button-hole attach- 4 5 ment for sewing-machines, as shown and described in above mentioned patent, No. 203,287. Fig. 5 is a front or edge view of the same attachment.

A is the cloth-plate of the sewing-machine,

upon which the cloth-clamp clamps the material to be operated upon, as shown in Fig. 4 and fully described in both of above-mentioned patents.

B is a gage-holder having one or more arms, and is attached to said cloth-carrying plate, as shown. To this gage-holder B, I attach one ortwo adjustable clamps D D, and through openings in the lower end of these clamps I place rods O C, the ends a a of which can be made into any required shape. In Fig. 1 these ends are shown in convenient shape for use on a square cuff. In Fig. 3 they are shown adapted to gage button-holes on the fronts of knit shirts, the location of the button-hole being gaged by the end of the front or a prcviously-worked button-hole.

The clamps D D are movable laterally along the arms of the gage-holder B, and the rods C C are movable transversely through the openings in the clamps D D. Thus it will be seen that the gage can be adjusted in any desired position. As the screw 1) presses against the arm of the gage-holder B and this against the rod 0, it will be seen that when the screw Z) is tightened the gage-holder B and rod 0 will be pressed together and the rod 0 and its attached gage be securely held in place, and that by loosening screw Z) these can be readily moved and readjusted.

The operations of the particular buttonhole attachment to which I have shown my gage attached may be briefly stated to be as follows: A switch-cam on the shaft of the sewing-machine to which this attachment is placed gives a reciprocatory movement to a switch-cam follower attached to lever Y at V, and by this follower to levers Y and X and the plates E and D and to the clothclam p Uand the cloth-carrying plate A. This produces the over-edge stitching of the button-hole. The action of the feed-pawl J on the feed-wheel L gives, through the action of the crank-wheel II, pitman G, and the feedbar F, a transverse step-by-step movement to the clamp U and cloth-carrying plate A to produce a row of over-edge stitches necessary to stitch the sides of the button-hole, as fully shown and described in above-mentioned patents;

As the gage-holder B and the attached gages Ice are secured to the cloth-carrying plate, they will be moved with it. Therefore when the gages are once adjusted and fastened by screw 12 they will always be in position to gage the work, no matter in what position the cloth-carrying plate and cloth-clamp may be in relation, to the needle. It will be further manifest that it my gage were attached to a machine in which the transverse movement was alone given to the clamping devices and the over-edge stitches formed by the vibration of the needle or to a button-sewing ma chine asshown in Patent No. 268,030, where the reciprocating movement is alone given without the transverse step-by-step movement, it would be equally valuable and useful. Therefore I do not limit myself to such manner of attachment or to a combination with any particular style of machine. \Vhat I claim, and desire to secure, isv 1. In a sewing-machine, the combination, with its work-clamp and means by which said clamp is given to-and-fro movements, of a gage moved by same means as and in harmony with said worleclamp, substantially as described. 2. In a sewing-machine, the combination, with its work-clamp and means by which said clamp is given to-and-fro movements, of a gage moved by same means as and in harmony with said work-clam p and adjustable laterally, substantially as described.

In a sewing-machine, the combination, with its Work-clamp and means by which said clamp is given to-and-fro movements, of a gage moved by same means as and in harmony with said work-clamp and adjustable transversely, substantially as described.

at. In a sewing-machine, the combination, with its work-clamp and means by which said clamp is given to-and-fro movements, of a gage moved by same means as and in harmony with said work-clamp and adjustable laterally and transversely, substantially as described.

5. In a gaging attachment for button-holes, a cloth-clamp combined with an arm or bar in front of the same, and one or more registering gages substantially parallel to the length of the slot in the cloth-clamp for the registering side of the material, the said gages being movable into and out of gaging position at'the will of the operator.

JAMES A. OSTERIIOU'I. \Vitnesses: JOHN M. IIoUsE, S. W. GIBSON. 

